Nursery recruitment is the hardest it's ever been and it doesn't seem to be getting any easier. Whilst the PVI sector continues to face an ongoing staffing crisis, nursery nurse recruitment gets harder but more neccessary. With the ongoing expansion of the 15 and 30 hours childcare scheme, childcare recruitment is more vital than ever. Increasing the amount of childcare apprentices isn't going to adequately fill that gap for most nurseries.
Just posting a nursery job advert on Facebook or Indeed doesn't cut it anymore. I know from my own experiences recruiting that it didn't matter if the childcare job description specified that I'm looking for level 3 qualified practitioners... the calibre of applicant wasn't good enough for what I needed. If that struggle sounds familiar, it's because you aren't marketing your nursery job adverts in the right place. I've shared 5 tips on how to improve your nursery recruitment with social media below.
1. Create an engaging job advert.
I have seen the same old advert for nurseries that says things like...
"must be able to drink a hundred fake cups of tea in the role play area every day!"
"the ability to sing in turn is not necessary."
"you must have the ability to read a story book upside down and with at least 5 interuptions."
It was cute and engaging the first time we read it 5 years ago but now, it's everywhere and it doesn't stick out. You need to show off what's unique about your childcare job and early years setting whilst factoring in what will be seen by as many as people as possible. The more people that see your nursery job advert, the more likely you are to find the right applicant.
Instead of posting an "we're hiring" image that isn't going to get far on social media, share a day in the life video of your setting! Influencers do it because it gets eyes on their content - something you want to do to show off your nursery's and staff personalities. Short video content is also the best way to be seen online!
2. Incentivise your current connections to spread the word.
Good people know good people! Encourage your current staff and families to share the video on their social media platforms because the chances are high that they know other early years practitioners that might be interested in your nursery nurse recruitment. It's also a whole bunch of fresh eyes on your video. By Katie from baby room sharing your video, her friend Laura might see it who knows her friend Lucy is looking for a new childcare job...
Whether you've created the video in point 1 or chosen to do something else, sometimes just sharing the post isn't enough. Create a competition or incentivise your staff to get creative with how they distribute the video. This will encourage them to share it to more places and in different ways - they might even come up with some suprising ideas! You could give a cash bonus (say £50-£100) if they lead to a hire, give them an extra day of paid leave, a week off nappy changing duty... you know what your staff will like. You can also spread a similair incentive to yours parents offering a day or half-day of free additional care or money off their next bill.
3. Share your nursery job advert where local people will see it.
There's no point in sharing your post into a generic early years practitioner Facebook group wiht 78,000 people in it. Sure, it's great to get tonnes of eyes on your video but 90% of those people live 30 minutes or more away from you... it's really unlikely that they are going to apply! You need to share your nursery staff recruitment in places where local people are going to see it.
This is where your local Facebook groups will come in handy! Most localities have at least one (for example, they will be called things like... Hall Green Noticeboard or Ediburgh Locals). BUT, as mentioned before, don't share the same old dull job advert. It's needs to be something that is going to catch people's attention! Make sure your post encourages people to engage with it through a like, comment or share. The more people that engage with it then the more people who will see it. Include a call-to-action. It could be something like...
"Tag a friend in the comments who would suit this job."
"Like/comment on this post if you'd like more information."
"Send us a message for more information."
4. Utilise the social media accounts of other local businesses.
As with the point above, you need local eyes on your childcare job advert. Utilise the connections of other local businesses by asking them to share your job advert to their followers - this just takes a simple message from your account to theirs. You will build more trust if another trusted local business raves about your opportunity. In return, you can agree to share one of their posts when they have a big event/sale/whatever suitable. Use their authority and local standing to your advantage.
5. Use paid nursery recruitment adverts through social media.
Social media advertising does come with a cost but the benefits are high. Social media paid ads show your nursery nurse recruitment efforts to a specific set of people. You set the parameters of this but you can focus on people within a particular area with certain interests within an age bracket - you can pick. This is much better than paying for a job advert on Indeed where it can be seen and applied to by any old candidate. These paid social ads are specific and are shown to people who are likely to engage!
If you're feeling unsure about any of these methods, need help creating an engaging video or image to showcase your early years recruitment or it just sounds like a lot of work (because let's face it, being a nursery manager is busy) then get in touch and I'd love to help out!
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